Memories
by Versk
Summary: Sasori is dead, and now Deidara needs a new partner and a new pair of arms. Deidara and Tobi, Sasori's replacement, must learn to live with one another as they travel to re-attach Deidara's lost limbs. TobiDei / DeiTobi
1. Chapter 1

**Important note before you read:** Rated M for language, violence, and sexual themes. I do not own _Naruto_ or anything related to it. _Naruto_ and all its affiliations (including, but not limited to: characters, places, objects and events) are owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Depending on where you are in the manga, this story may contain spoilers.

**Author's note:** This is my first _Naruto_ fanfiction. It may take some time for me to update, depending on homework load. But definitly toward the summer things will start to quicken up. If you note any mistakes, please point them out. Please comment and enjoy!

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Chapter 1

The sky was a somber crimson mixed with orange and yellow. The sphere of light settled behind a line of jagged, sandy hills. A slight wind picked up loose particles of sand from the hard rock and threw them into the air. The flying sand hit the rock and, in the act of erosion, created more particles of sand.

Sand…

The blond sighed, remembering, thanks to the dusty particles, his partner. His _former _partner: Sasori of the Red Sand. How had Sasori been able to live in such a place, with eroding sandstorms and blinding sunshine? How had he managed to keep himself from dying of thirst in the water-deprived environment? How had he been able to keep his face from eroding away like these smooth rocks piled about? He would never know. Sasori no Danna was dead.

Deidara smiled. Sasori no Danna was dead. Dead. The man—no, the puppet—who had claimed true art to be eternal. In pursuit of this "art," the red-head turned himself into an "immortal." He became a puppet, just like the ones he fought with and created and cared for. His features never changed, even as the years swept by. And every time he was asked, every time someone (which was usually Deidara) started an argument about art, he had announced impassively, "True art lasts forever."

And now the artist was dead. He had not lasted forever. Deidara's own beliefs, that true art is temporary, lasting only a short while before vanishing, had succeeded in the end. The debate was finally finished: Art is short-lived.

But that victory was not what he concentrated upon. No, his mind rested on the fact that the "immortal" was dead. There was a word for this: irony?

Deidara shook his golden head. Irony did not fully describe the situation. While the artist wracked his brain, the sun disappeared over the horizon. The dark colors of evening set in with blue, pale pink and purple. Scowling, Deidara opened his eyes as he sat, legs dangling over the side of a cliff.

He would have been holding his chin delicately in a thinking pose, but as circumstances permitted, he had come out of battle with no arms to hold his chin. The blond cursed the bastard Leaf ninja for this lack of limbs. But he also cursed himself. He should have been more careful, more prepared when facing the sharingan, even if it was just one sharingan. But no, his pride and ego had fogged his judgment. Deidara kicked the air.

A noise from behind brought the Iwa nin out of his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder (basically all that remained of his arms) and glared at Tobi, a mask-wearing shinobi and proven idiot. Tobi was sitting not too far away sharpening a pair of rocks.

Why, the blond wondered, had Zetsu left him to "baby-sit" this pathetic wannabe? "Because Sasori's body must be taken care of," the plant-man had answered. This thought brought a sad glimmer into Deidara's sapphire eyes.

Everyone knew of Zetsu's job: to dispose of the dead and rotting bodies of all affiliated with the Akatsuki _by eating them_. Otherwise ninja of other countries might learn their secrets. But how, the blond pondered, would Zetsu consume a puppet? Would he eat Sasori no Danna despite his wooden body? Most likely.

Deidara shook away the thought. "Hey!" Deidara called. Tobi looked up from his work but did not stop hitting the rocks against one another. The blond eyed his hands then scowled. "If you keep doing that—"

CRACK! A chunk of rock went flying and hit the masked man square in the forehead. If not for his orange mask, the ninja would have ended up with a rather large bump on his head. Tobi let out an instinctive yipe to which Deidara returned with an annoyed groan. Leave it to Tobi to do childish things and then mess them up.

He turned back to the sandy hills. Where was Zetsu? He should have been back by now. As though hearing his thoughts, the tall man spoke up, "So-o-o…"

Deidara shot him a glance, making the other flinch. "You think I'll be able to get into the Akatsuki now?"

"What do you mean 'now,' un?"

"Well, I mean," he tapped the portion of his mask where his chin should be, "now that Sasori-san is dead—" Deidara narrowed his eyes and the man shut his mouth.

After a short silence, he continued, "Now that Sasori-san is dead, don't you need a replacement?"

Replacement? Did the idiot honestly think he could replace Sasori of the Red Sand, the great puppet master? The thought almost made Deidara laugh. "You?" he asked, turning around again and wearing a cat-like smirk.

Something in the face made Tobi cringe. Shaking fingers reached to protect his covered neck, recalling how, a few hours ago, Deidara, without hesitation, had attempted to suffocate him. And without arms!

After some rocking backward and forward the armless ninja made it to his feet. Despite the expression from before, he heard the annoying giggles of the brunette nearby and the muffled words of "you looked like a worm." Without a second thought Deidara ran up to the man and kicked him hard in the shin. He smirked as Tobi hopped up and down, holding the spot where the artist had injured him.

"Ow! That hurt!" the man in pain exclaimed, settling a bit. Deidara remained silent. Tobi waited another second or two for a response. When none came, he said forcefully, "That wasn't very ni—OW!" Deidara stomped his foot onto Tobi's revealed toes.

Toes were basically the only shred of skin the ninja revealed. Why?—no one really knew or wished to ask. Maybe it was to show off his painted nails, an essential part of the Akatsuki's wardrobe. But then the questions arose: why painted nails and not the large conical straw hat? Why just his toes, why not his fingers? And why didn't he show more that his toes? Did he have some liking to his name and "toes" sounding similar?

As the brunette hopped around, biting back pain, the blond went for a cluster of smooth rocks and settled against them. The scene before him made for a good show, at least until the pain in the taller man's legs subsided and he could concentrate on the blond.

Brow furrowed, Deidara listened to Tobi's questions and comments. He tuned out most of what Tobi said, but at every mention of Akatsuki or Sasori, the blonde's eyes would soften and look directly into the dark hole in the other ninja's mask.

Five minutes of random babble later, they heard the unmistakable sound of Zetsu's jutsu and turned to see the Akatsuki member grow straight out of the rock-face. Many wondered what kind of jutsu gave one the ability to phase in and out of solid objects.

"Hey, Zetsu-san!" the masked man waved. It was unclear whether or not Zetsu heard the welcome; his head was encased in the large leaves growing from his body. They parted slightly once his body was completely apart from the rock.

"What took you so long, un?" Whether it was from Sasori's influence or his own personality, Deidara was not entirely the patient type. The hours of waiting and having to baby-sit an annoying masked man had been almost unbearable.

From behind the bars of the carnivorous looking leaves, Zetsu gave Deidara a slightly irritated glance. "_Deidara should learn to be a bit more patient_." The leaves parted further revealing Zetsu's full head. His skin was split in half, the right side white, the left black.

Deidara looked into the strikingly yellow eyes intently. "Did…did you—"

"Yes." Sasori's body was disposed of. "Why? _Is there a problem with it?_" The change in speech—from Zetsu's light side to dark side—was still something Deidara needed to get used to. Tobi, however, being an apprentice to Zetsu for years, was used to the change of character even in mid-sentence.

Deidara turned down his gaze. "No. Just wanted to be sure, un," he lied. He did not want to be sure. The idea of Sasori being killed, and then his body possibly eaten, made the explosive artist sick to his stomach.

"In any case," the black-and-white ninja started, "we should be leaving for the nearest base. _Leader-sama will want to have a report._"

At this, the masked ninja sprang to his feet, managing to elevate at least a foot off the ground. "You're not coming, un."

"_Yes he is, Deidara_," Zetsu intervened just in time to save the dark-haired man's spirits. "Tobi has asked to join us. Tobi is a good boy. I believe he should have a chance. _And besides, he's my disciple, not yours so don't order him around._"

Deidara scowled harder but remained silent. He couldn't argue against that fact and besides, there was no chance in hell Tobi would be able to join. At least that's what he thought.

With the setting of the sun vanished the near unbearable heat of the day. The trio traveled swiftly down and up and through crevices in the rock. It was like being in another world here. Here, a once mighty river wore away rock and polished it smooth into strange, random and fluid forms. Some rocks flowed and curved like the hills on the horizon while others formed a wall with a gaping hole in the middle. The structure of the stone reminded the Iwagakure ninja of the architecture of the village hidden in the sand, Sunagakure. The thought of the village put a bad taste in the ninja's mouth.

"How much longer?" came a tired and whiny voice.

Deidara growled, annoyed, and answered for the fifth time, "Just wait, un!"

He was really starting to lose his patients with this guy. Deidara had seen Tobi before, mainly hanging around with Zetsu or doing menial chores for the plant-man and other Akatsuki members. Once or twice before Deidara himself ordered the man to carry in some explosive clay. But other than appearance, he did not really know that much about the masked man.

The stars were already starting to fade in by the time they arrived. Before them stood the entrance to a dark cave. Without a moment's hesitation they entered, following the soft flickering light of two flames toward the back. The two flames sat at each top corner of a sealed stone door. Once Zetsu, who was leading the two, came into the ring of light, the stone door rose out of the way and they entered. It fell back down with a large thud and flew dust into the air, cutting off all traces of light.

Tobi coughed horribly from the subtle dirt cloud. Deidara snorted at his attempt at humor. After few minutes the trio's eyes grew used to the darkness. Cracks in the ceiling allowed for strands of moonlight to seep in. Deidara stepped toward Zetsu. "You want to be the one to tell him?"

Deidara recoiled before receiving a response; he really did not want to have another argument with Zetsu's darker side. Zetsu ignored the act and closed his eye in concentration. The other two merely watched, Tobi tapping the bottom of his mask in confusion and Deidara giving him deadly glares. The air sizzled before them and a static shadow appeared. Besides the dark outline and eyes, there was no way of telling what the person looked like.

The hologram of the Akatsuki leader looked around with wide eyes. Their piercing silver went for Zetsu to Deidara and managed, somehow, to expand further . "Hmm…" he hummed, thinking. Without a word, the leader made a seal with his hands and the large silver orbs vanished.

Zetsu opened his yellow eyes and watched the leader work. A minute passed before anything happened. Another sizzling and static noise arose; this time more jumbled. Forming a close circle, the other members appeared as shadowed holographic outlines. The masked man, so as not to get in the way, scrambled over to a dark corner. He studied them fervently. Once he entered their ranks he would be able to partake in their meetings. But for now he was still but a minion.

The leader eyed the others then turned a spiky head to the armless ninja. "Well?" his voice was deep and muffled from static, sounding like he was talking through a broken radio. "What happened?"

"As you know," Deidara started, "Sasori no Danna and I ran into some interference, un."

"And it looks like you got pretty mangled because of it." Another one of the members, one with light pink eyes, was cast a dirty glare from the artist. It was bad enough he had to appear so torn in front of the others; he didn't need any snide remarks.

"I took on the Jinchuuriki kid while Sasori no Danna challenged a pink haired brat and an old woman, un. Sadly," Deidara's eyes turned down, depressed by the thought, "he didn't…he was beaten."

The words rippled through a palpable silence. Some eyes widened and images faltered. Sasori had been one of the most skilled members of the Akatsuki. Hearing a little girl and old woman had been his downfall was laughable. Even the leader seemed a bit shaken.

Deidara nodded once. "And I lost my other arm, un."

"As if that wasn't obvious. What you do? Blow it off with one of your dumb bombs?" the interrupter from earlier disrupted again.

"No," Deidara answered firmly, sending another deadly glare to the immortal. Another immortal, just like Sasori no Danna, only perhaps more shielded from death. "Hatake Kakashi sucked it up with some weird—I don't know, un. Some kind of vacuum of air that sucked in my elbow."

Comprehension flashed in the crimson eyes of another member. It faded away before anyone took notice. "So now you require another pair of arms," said the Leader. He turned wide eyes to another pair of green ones. "Kakuzu?"

Kakuzu sighed and took a moment to ponder. "Do you have your arms with you?"

Deidara nodded and inclined his head to Zetsu. "Zet—"

"Tobi! Tobi found Deidara-san's arm." From the dark corner came the shrill voice of the masked ninja, waving his arms excitedly to gain attention.

If not for the lack of arms Tobi would be a burn on the stone wall. One of the taller holograms let out an airy laugh, showing sharp white teeth, to which Deidara answered with a furrowed brow. "As I was saying," Deidara went on, acting as though Tobi had not so rudely interrupted, "Zetsu should have my right arm, un."

"Yes. And how much of your arm do you still have?" he added.

Deidara blinked absently. "Just about halfway down my upper arm, un. Why?"

"_Because now we have to find an elbow_," said the darker side of Zetsu. Deidara started. His one revealed eye grew wide then frustrated. Thanks to Gaara he already needed to have a full replacement arm. Adding an elbow only complicated matters.

The blond sighed. "Well I can re-attach your arms," Kakuzu announced. Deidara stared across the circle into the ninja's glowing green eyes. "But we'll need to come into direct contact. And I was planning on capturing a big bounty tomorrow."

"That will have to wait, un. My armless-ness is a bit more important, don't you think?" Deidara waved the two stumps in the air. "I can't perform any jutsu like this, un!"

The Kakuzu hologram frowned behind the mask. "Fine. Stop whining." Beside him, his partner gave a sly smirk. "Where should we meet up?"

"Here, of course!"

His green eyes narrowed. "Do you know how far away we are from you?" he asked angrily. "It would take at least three days to reach you. And besides," his eyes softened, "this isn't exactly the best place for surgery."

Surgery? The ends of Deidara's arms prickled with an irritating pain as did his gut. Surgery meant needles, sharp objects. The blond gulped.

"It wouldn't be good for you to get an infection from such unsanitary facilities." Kakuzu folded his arms over his chest, staring lazily at the nervous Iwa nin.

"Maybe," said Itachi impassively, breaking the sudden silence that had fallen, "you could meet at the Akatsuki's home base."

Kakuzu seemed to like this idea. "Yes, that's a perfect place," he concurred. "There I can use more fitting medical equipment."

"But that'll take a whole week, un!" Deidara countered.

"Yeah, for you maybe," said Kakuzu's partner. "It'll only take a coupla days for us. So we can fuck off to our heart's content while you drag your sorry, armless ass there. Heh." The Jashinist let out a half-hearted snicker.

Somehow the blond knew this was one reason Kakuzu agreed with the Uchiha's idea; he could use the extra days to find and capture his bounty. The money-grubbing bastard.

"So then it's set," announced the Leader. He turned from Kakuzu to Deidara and back. "You two will meet at the Akatsuki home base in about a week's time. Now," he continued, "on to another important topic."

Deidara blinked—what other topic? "We need to find a replacement for Sasori." The sound of the puppeteer's name made the artist cast down his mournful eyes.

"Any ideas?" The rest were silent, recalling probable candidates.

"I would elect Momochi Zabuza," announced Kisame, revealing his serrated white teeth, "but he's dead. Was a pretty good swordsman, though; one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"And yet he was defeated by such weak opponents," the Mist nin's partner droned.

Kisame turned to his partner, looking somewhat shocked. "Yeah but don't forget he had to fend off Kakashi and three other genin."

A low grumble emitted from Deidara's throat. He hated the Hatake to death right now, and the Hatake's teammates—literally. Next time they met the blond would be sure to give his many thanks.

Hearing this form of annoyance erupting from Deidara, the Leader interrupted the on-going conversation between the leaf and mist missing ninjas. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"I do!" Deidara announced, lifting the stump of his right arm. A muffled laughter escaped from Hidan's covered mouth. "I know of a few fellow stone nin who would fit perfectly, un."

"Oh, yeah," answered the Jashinist. "Like we need another limbless, self-proclaimed artist hothead in the group."

"Hidan shut up before I kill you!" grumbled Kakuzu to his disrespectful partner. If only, he and Deidara wished, such a thing were possible—killing the immortal.

"I elect Tobi as our new member." All heads turned to the source of the suggestion: Zetsu. Their eyes, except for the Leader's, grew in surprise. Ordinarily such a thought would make any of them chuckle, but not now. Zetsu, a respectable member, had been the one to suggest the idea, and in all seriousness too.

"Tobi has been my disciple for years," Zetsu started to explain. "He is ready and willing to join. Do not judge him solely on his outer personality. He is a good listener and will do as he is told. Tobi is a good boy."

Whether it was because they were all still shocked by Zetsu's proposal or because for once Zetsu had talked a fair amount without "switching sides," the other members of the Akatsuki did not utter a word. Tobi, on the other hand, was trembling with anticipation. His one eye focused on the leader's silver eyes. If no one made a move within a few seconds the ninja may very well have exploded.

Deidara, on the other hand, could not have been more terrified. Nothing, not even having his arms ripped off, could be as horrible as this. His eyes darted to the leaders, their large pupils pleading for a "no."

"All right."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapter. Special thanks for pointing out any mistakes. If you catch a mistake, please point it out. I don't really like grammar or spelling mistakes. Please comment and enjoy!

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Chapter 2

Tobi let out a shrill squeal and leapt two feet into the air, clicking his heels together in mid-air. Deidara eyed him, annoyed and anxious. "D-does that mean…?" he trailed off, turning to the Leader, who nodded a spiky head.

"Yes, Tobi will be your new partner."

"But—" Deidara's protest was cut short by the masked man grabbing him from behind in a friendly bear-hug.

"Isn't this great, Deidara-sempai?" Tobi chirped, happiness dripping from his voice.

Sempai? The artist roughly kicked Tobi in the shin and stomped on his foot. With an instinctive shout of pain the shinobi released the blond and went to tend to his small injuries. Deidara turned, hearing a soft chuckle from behind. The laughter ceased.

"But why? Can't Zetsu be his partner, un?" Deidara questioned.

The artist shrank back as the Leader cast him a dangerously irritated gaze.

"_We have no need for a partner_," the plant-man intervened. "And besides you are the one who needs a new teammate, Deidara."

The blond shinobi scowled. "Yes, but you can't expect an artist of my caliber to team up with an idiot like Tobi, un." He tried pointing to said idiot but only managed in drawing more muffled snickers from Hidan.

"That's not nice, Sempai!" Tobi called from the ground massaging his bruised leg.

"In any case," said the Leader before Deidara could have another swing at the already injured ninja, "Tobi is to be your new partner whether you like it or not, Deidara."

"But—"

"No 'buts'!" the Leader commanded, voice firm and demanding through the snowy static. Now Deidara had no choice but to obey lest he suffer the Akatsuki leader's wrath. "You and Tobi will travel together to the Akatsuki home base. There, Kakuzu will repair your arms. Is that clear?"

"Yeah," Deidara answered, nodding once.

"You can count on us, Leader-sama!" Tobi, now standing, gave the Leader a distinct thumbs-up.

The Leader seemed pleased with this agreement. He did not utter another word before slowly sizzling away. Shortly after the remaining holograms did the same, save for Kakuzu and Hidan, the zombie twins.

"So we'll meet you in a week. Don't be late," warned the green-eyed hologram, eyes narrowed. It dissolved into the air a second later, as did its partner.

Now the only members remaining in the dark cave were Zetsu, Tobi and a miffed Deidara. "Sempai?" Tobi called, approaching the blond who stood hunched over in defeat.

"Tob—"

"_Now we have to find you an elbow and arm._" Tobi and Deidara both turned their heads to Zetsu already sinking into the ground. "I'll meet you in one week at the base."

They both watched as the Akatsuki member fazed into the ground like he was falling through quicksand. They stared on as the dirt reached his knees, waist, chest, neck, then finally the ends of his carnivorous head. A thick silence fell; neither had anything to say.

At last Tobi ended it. "Well," he exclaimed, slapping the blond firmly on the back, "we better get going, right Deidara-sempai?"

There it was again: sempai. Since when had Tobi ever called him sempai? Not until just recently, right after being pronounced a member of Akatsuki. Deidara felt something prodding him in the back. He turned and went to smack Tobi's head clear off his shoulders. Only one thing stopped him: no arms to hit with.

The blond fumed, turning red with anger and embarrassment. "Erm…S-sempai?" Tobi called, stifling a small chuckle.

"Shut it, un!" He didn't want to hear another word out of the bastard's hidden mouth.

"But-but Sem—"

"I said shut up, un!" Tobi groaned in reply and fiddled with his gloved fingers. Casting another icy glare, Deidara walked over to a wall and leaned his head against the hard, rocky surface. His headband clinked against the stone and sent a loose chink flying. At least now he could think.

His head was spinning and the bases of his arms were throbbing. If he didn't heal them soon they were sure to get some infection or start bleeding again. But healing required limbs which he was sadly short of. And relying on the only other presence, Tobi, was out of the question. Even armless, Deidara would never admit to weakness. He wasn't weak. He was just…preoccupied.

"Are you okay, Sempai?" came Tobi's concerned voice from behind. The Iwa nin remained silent, mulling over his options.

As he looked at it, there were two options: quietly accept the situation—that Tobi was his new partner and needed tool—or go on this voyage, ignoring the masked man, and suffer from the embarrassing travails of living without hands. Either way made the blond sick. Or maybe that was just the prickling pain in what was left of his arms.

Damn it hurt! Now without anything else to occupy his mind, the fact his limbs had literally been ripped off was starting to take its toll. The torn ends of nerves pulsed with awakening agony. Disconnected arteries and smaller blood veins led red blood cells to open, dead ends. A strange, sickening _plink, plink, plink _emanated from the ground beneath his feet. A crimson mess in the dark cave.

A bead of sweat rolled down the blond's reddened cheek. "Sempai are you okay? What's wrong?" Judging from the volume Deidara concluded Tobi to be slowly approaching. He heard scratchy footsteps halt directly behind him.

"Sempai, you're shaking!" He hadn't noticed. Apparently the wall his head leaned against was the only thing keeping him from this fact. Tobi gave out a sudden gasp seeing the pools forming below Deidara's arms.

After meeting with Tobi and Zetsu in the forest, the trio simply headed away from the area, not taking a minute to bandage Deidara's arms. It never came to mind, mostly because, as far as the other two could tell, they were already bandaged. But they weren't. And now the scarred tissue was opening up again after a failed coagulation of red and white blood cells.

These little soldiers fought desperately to keep their home from bleeding to death. Deidara's chakra greatly assisted the process but could not do a thorough job. Chakra was basically all that kept the stumps from bleeding before. But as time went on and strength and energy decreased, it became harder and harder to control the flow. Right now all it could do was keep the larger veins from opening.

Without warning a warm hand rested itself upon Deidara's trembling shoulder. Its presence was strangely settling.

"Sempai let me heal your arms for you," Tobi's voice was sincere, concerned, and worried. All the sympathy received was a brutal push away. Deidara even attempted to strike the masked shinobi's shin again, but found it a dizzying task.

"I said," he panted, jaw set, "shut up, un. I am perfectly capable of healing my own arms, damn it. Stay away from me!" The order did not have much strength to it.

Noticing this, Tobi, gaining some authority, placed his hand on his partner's shoulder again. It kept a firm grip as Deidara attempted to shake it off. "Let me heal you, Sempai. If you don't, you'll only end up hurting yourself more."

"I said stay away from me, dammit!"

"But Deidara-sempai, you're bleeding. Please, let me help you." _Help?_ The artist snorted. He didn't _need_ help from anyone, least of all Tobi. Everything was fine.

"Stop being a baby and let me help you, Sempai!"

Deidara turned about; a bad mistake. Turning only sent him stumbling forward, right into the other man's arms. He tried to escape, adrenaline pumping through him, and managed.

"Sempai you're being ridiculous! Sempai!" Tobi shouted as Deidara tumbled back against the stone wall. His head was spinning and he felt a warm, sticky liquid licking and soaking into his clothes. He looked to the torn ends of the cloak's sleeves and found the fabric to be a darker black shining in the subtle moonlight.

The cave had lit up a bit more now that the moon rested directly overhead. All his moving and tumbling caused the wounds to open further. They stung as globs of fresh blood seeped through. The sudden loss of blood drained the artist of energy, and therefore control over his chakra. Bleeding beget bleeding.

There was so much to preoccupy on—the sharp needle pricks of pain, the throbbing nerves, the rush and streams of blood going _plink, plink_ on the cave floor, the constant annoying pleas of Tobi to let him help—that controlling chakra flow became easier said than done. Perhaps not even that.

Despite his weak protests, Tobi continued to press forward, urging the blond to stay still and let him heal his wounds. When hell froze! Deidara didn't need help; he could take care of himself. Still…

He cursed, grinding his teeth together as another wave of pain erupted from the broken bone. Tobi reached out to him but the artist dodged it. He ducked under Tobi's outstretched arm and took two strides before tripping and skidding into the dirt. The hard floor cut and dirtied his smooth, sweaty skin. He let out an irritated moan and turned over onto his back.

At once the wind burst out of him as Tobi landed on top of him, straddling his waist. Now, immobilized, there was not much else the artist could do besides kick his legs up and down against the dirt. "Get off me, un!" he ordered once his breathing pattern returned to a quick panting.

Without a word Tobi started undoing the other's cloak. He separated the opening and revealed the mid-drift-baring, sleeveless black shirt his sempai wore, underneath which was a thick fishnet shirt, also sleeveless. The artist growled and bucked. He shouted for Tobi to release him and made death threats. "Get off before I fucking kill you! I'll burn you to a crisp, un."

Tobi merely ignored the harsh words; he'd rather concentrate on healing his suffering partner, whether Deidara wanted it or not. He slipped the shredded sleeves from the torn arms and winced seeing the bloody mess. Pieces of bone, scraps of torn muscle, and pouring veins. Not exactly the prettiest site, but he had to bear the gore, for Deidara's sake.

Hands glowing light green with a healing jutsu, Tobi cupped the stump of Deidara's right arm in a steady hold. Years of servitude to the plant-man had some perks; one being the amount of jutsu he learned (and unconsciously copied). Most of what he knew came from Zetsu's teaching but the rest just seemed to surface as needed. Some lessons Zetsu-san taught came naturally, like he was re-learning the technique. Tobi silently thanked the cannibal.

Deidara bit down, hard, and felt a warm liquid fill his mouth. It rolled down his horizontal throat and disrupted his breathing, making him cough. Healing cells was not exactly the most comfortable of experiences. He cringed as cells healed faster than what was natural.

After five minutes or so Tobi moved to the other arm, operating the same slow technique of speeding cell coagulation to halt the bleeding and threat of infection. Deidara had quit struggling some time ago, too tired and pissed to refuse the assistance. He still gave Tobi deadly glares, though, and muttered cold curses and threats. All were simply ignored.

At last the healing was complete. Tobi sat back, half his weight on Deidara's stomach. His gloves were covered in the other's blood and strips of loosened flesh and bone. They would probably stay that way until properly cleaned. He did not take a second to scan over the damage to the fabric. Instead, the masked shinobi fumbled through a bag nestled below the pads hanging from his waist.

Into the illuminated darkness he brought a roll of gauze. While Deidara was still dazed with post-hemorrhage pain, Tobi wrapped the white bandages around the stumps of the other man's arms. Most of the white color vanished as light reddish-brown splotches grew around the lower area of Deidara's arms. The masked shinobi tore the end off the bandage, tucked it into the encompassing wraps, and used a clip to secure it.

The brunette did one final check on the stumps. He caught a glimpse of Deidara-sempai's face out of the single eye-hole in his swirly orange mask. Beads of sweat traced clean paths through the light dusting of dirt. Minor scratches from his earlier fall plagued the lower half of the blond's face. He probably wouldn't mind…

Tobi reached out his hand and hovered it over Deidara's face. The blond, sensing this, opened his blue eyes and growled. "Touch me and you're dead, un!" he hissed.

The masked shinobi initiated the jutsu, sending chakra through the other's skin. Slowly soft skin replaced bleeding scrapes, leaving nothing but a slightly reddish mark. These also dissipated eventually.

"There!" Tobi announced, sitting back and examining his work. From behind the mask he smiled cheerily.

Now that Deidara-sempai was healed, maybe they could get moving. And Deidara was sure to act a bit nicer now with his arms fully healed.

He stood up, releasing the blond of the unwanted weight on his diaphragm, and took a few steps back so he was no longer straddling the other Akatsuki. "Feel better, Sempai?"

Apparently so, for immediately after Tobi popped the question, Deidara lifted a bent leg and delivered a swift kick to the other's groin.

Needless to say, Deidara's Akatsuki cloak was soiled beyond salvation. Great pools of blood staining the red lining only solidified the fact he needed a new one. The blond grumbled. He couldn't _wait_ to hear Kakuzu's cries of joy, following by a lovely four-hour lecture on wasting valuable items.

Of course he wouldn't _need_ to go through a lecture if Tobi had just left him alone in the first place. This was all _his_ fault, the idiot bastard.

Armless and without any way of doing so himself, Deidara leaned his tired body against the cave wall as Tobi spread the cloak on the ground. Its only use now was as a stinky blanket to sleep upon.

They would head out in the morning when things were easier to see.

"Is this okay, Sempai?" Tobi asked, turning his head to the blond.

Deidara kept a vow of silence. After what Tobi did—forcing himself upon Deidara, going against direct orders, and healing him when he had no need for it (not to mention without permission to do so)—the brunette would be lucky to ever hear his sempai's voice again.

Tobi took the silence as a 'yes.' He crawled onto the fabric and chose a side to sleep upon.

"Hey!" Deidara's promise broke. He stormed over to the edge of his cloak. "What the hell do you think you're doing, un?"

Tobi lifted his heavy head. Though it was impossible to see, his face drooped with tiredness and fatigue. Traveling, becoming a member of an S-ranked organization, and healing an explosive artist all in one day definitely took some energy away. "Trying to sleep."

Deidara bared his teeth. He shook off his sandals, not wanting to further dirty the cloak, then brutally kicked and rolled Tobi off and into the dirt.

"Sempai!" he protested, scrambling to his knees.

The artist flopped down onto the cloak, sitting with his legs crossed before him and a defiant look on his face.

Tobi groaned. Why was his new partner being so mean? Shouldn't he have been thankful for the good work Tobi did on his arms?

"Well if you won't let me sleep there," whined the shinobi, standing up, "where am I _supposed_ to sleep?"

"There should be blankets over there, un." Deidara inclined a golden head to the darker corner of the cave.

At first, Tobi just stood there. What was with this sudden change of heart? His eyes darted to the bloody stains on the cloak. The situation made for an interesting joke. One which would probably get him killed in the end.

He nodded and went over. Nothing was there besides dirt and rock. He sighed and peered over his shoulder to the blond.

"It's a permanent genjutsu," he clarified. "There should be a hole there instead of a rock-face, un."

The masked shinobi nodded again and reached forward. Deidara was right! There, hidden behind a false wall sat folded a gray blanket. It was old and smelled stale, but was still recognizably a blanket. "Thanks, Sempai!"

He took the blanket back with him to set up next to Deidara-sempai. The artist scowled but made no protest. He leaned forward, gathered some of the cloak (and dirt) in his mouth and pulled it over his body as he turned on his side to sleep.

The shinobi behind him whipped the blanket through the air to dispel some collected dust, then quietly flattened it out on the cave floor.

"Nighty-night Sempai! Sweet dreams. Don't let the bed-bugs bite."

Yeah, like he was supposed to have delightful dreams sleeping in a bed of his own blood. "Shut the hell up and go to sleep, un."

Tobi dutifully followed his sempai's orders and fell into a state of slumber minutes later. Deidara, however, remained fully aroused. His arms and head were throbbing again, and the blood was starting to dry and rot. By morning it was sure to smell to high heaven. But it was his, and there was only one other blanket: the one Tobi currently occupied. So it was either bare the stink or curl up with the idiot.

Deidara never really believed in such a thing as God, but it was clear someone out there was bent on making his life a living hell.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Chapter 3 and so forth may take a while to come. I have to catch up with the rest of the Naruto manga since I stopped once Darth Tobi appeared (chapter 363 or so). Also, a school project, cosplay, and other things will take time away from writing. But once summer rolls around, chapters will be updated at a faster pace. Hopefully...


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** This chapter took longer than I wanted. Oh well, at least it's done. Don't know how long this story's going to end up being. Now I'm just rambling aimlessly. Oh well. Please comment and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

Deidara awoke to the irritating buzz of flies licking, spitting, and sucking at stiff and sticky fabric. He shooed them away with the wave of a stump. A bandaged stump, he noticed.

The events of the previous night flooded back, clouding blurry vision. He scowled softly, and peered over to the black lump lying beside him feet away on the blanket.

The idiot was still asleep.

Deidara groaned and stretched out over the cloak, reaching for the sky with what remained of his arms, and toward the cave wall with his feet. His back and other bones cracked. A hard, filthy substance pulled at his stretched skin. Dried blood soaked the fabric on either side of his shirt, just below the arms; and the darkened cloth clung to crawling skin. Because of the black background, however, the blood was hardly noticeable.

Ignoring urges to shudder and make a face, Deidara sat up and turned his head searching for his sandals. They weren't too far away, settled neatly beside another pair. The scowl hardened.

The blond scrambled to his feet and went to pick up Tobi's own discarded shoes. Though it made him cringe at first, Deidara settled his feet into the larger pair and walked over to as far a corner as possible. The heels of the shoes slapped against the bottoms of his feet as he walked.

Once the distance seemed large enough, Deidara threw the shoes off as if they carried a terrible disease. One bounced off the wall after somersaulting ten feet into the air, while the other dug itself half-way into the dirt. Deidara walked back and put on his own snug, form-fitting pair. He considered kicking the other ninja awake, but as the thought entered his mind, Tobi showed signs of life.

At first the dark-haired man just paced around dumbfounded, then gave an angry groan at the discovery of his footwear. Deidara tried and failed to keep down a growing smirk and mischievous chuckle. "That wasn't very nice, Sempai!" Tobi whined, pulling on the found shoes.

Deidara shrugged off the complaint. He turned to his dirty cloak. The black background had turned dull gray in the dirt, the white outline of the clouds a dirty brown, and the red lining saturated in sticky blood. Flies from earlier were quickly making their home on the surface.

"Nothing else to do but burn it, un," he stated and stood back. Nothing happened.

"What?" Tobi squeaked as he jumped back, receiving a most displeased stare.

"Burn it," Deidara ordered fiercely.

"Why?" Tobi put a finger to the bottom of his orange mask. Trying to act "cute."

"Because we cannot leave any trace of our existence," the blond shinobi explained. "If ninja of other nations discover this cave, somehow get inside, and find the cloak, just think of what they could learn from what's on it, un. Like from my blood, or random twigs or something."

"Then why not just take it along?"

"Because, dumbass," Deidara's voice shook with suppressed rage, "I'm not about to lug around a torn, bloody cloak for a whole week without any purpose in doing so, un!"

Tobi went silent, and focused on the small crack in the ceiling from which rays of sun streamed in. His black finger tapped pensively against the mask. "But wouldn't the smoke—"

"Just shut up and do it, un!"

"Okay, okay!" Tobi held up his hands defensively. With a few quick hand seals he set fire to the abandoned cloak, removing the lower part of his mask but covering the side of his face closest to Deidara with his hand.

The black cloak turned a golden orange, yellow, red and blue. Thick black smoke rose to the ceiling of the cave and softly dispersed through the hole and into the air. Flames growled as the Akatsuki cloak burned to ash. Flies caught in the heat sizzled and died, their dehydrated corpses joining with the dirt. The flickering light of the flames entranced both ninja in a few second's worth of hypnotism.

"Let's go!" Deidara announced, waking his partner from the trance. Quick as lightning the mask came down, before the blond could even spot a hint of Tobi's pale skin.

"R-right," Tobi stuttered, and fumbled to fold up the blanket, planning to take it along.

"Leave that here, un!"

"Right!" Tobi did as ordered, and dropped the half-folded blanket.

The blond growled. "No, you idiot. Put it back where you found it, un."

Tobi let out a long-drawn 'oh' and returned the blanket to the small hole in the wall. "Ignoramus!" Deidara scoffed. "Well let's get going. The sooner we get there the better, un."

"Right!" Tobi said with a quick salute. Deidara suppressed another groan. Soon as he was reunited with his arms, Tobi was sure to learn just how short a fuse his partner had. Not that he didn't already know.

The two set out, exiting the base the same way they had entered the previous night. It was early morning but the colorful sunrise was already ended. Now the sky was a simple blue, and as time passed the rising sun heated the earth. If they did not move out of the rock crevice and out of the desert soon, the heat was sure to catch them.

So they moved quickly; Tobi complaining about the speed at which his sempai moved and Deidara, forcing extra chakra into his legs, speeding up. It was not long before they reached the desert edge and entered the Land of Fire.

The name of the country was rather ironic: trees clouded the _Fire_ Country, clustered so close together as to allow only a yard's worth of movement on the ground. But perhaps the country was named such after the warm weather and burning economy and trade. Whatever the reason, it was a far more pleasant atmosphere than the blistering desert landscape of the Land of Wind.

The two Akatsuki leapt from tree branch to tree branch. Their speed increased with the added spring of tree limbs. This pleased the blond greatly. He wanted—had—to be the first one to the hideout, just to prove to Kakuzu and everyone else just how great a ninja he was. He needed to prove—even armless—he could travel great distances in lesser time than a normal person. They would arrive in five days' time instead of seven, he swore it!

"Hey Sempai!" Tobi called from a few yards behind.

"Yo Sempai!" he shouted again with no reply.

"You gone deaf _Deidara_-sempai?"

"What is it?" the blond snapped.

"Where we gonna stay for the night?"

Deidara snorted. "What kind of question is that, un?" he asked, not taking his eyes off upcoming branches and tree trunks. "We'll spend the night in an inn."

Tobi chuckled softly at the answer. "But won't people panic? We are Akatsuki after all." A disgusted and disapproving look came over Deidara's face.

The thought of Tobi being a part of Akatsuki was still a strange one, and hearing the idiot say 'we' instead of 'you' only made it feel even more alien. For a good long while Tobi pleaded to become a member of the S-ranked gang but to no avail. And it was easy to see why: the guy was not exactly danger-in-the-dark material. In fact, Deidara still wondered why the Leader had agreed upon Tobi in the first place. Maybe there was some ulterior motive.

Before his mind could go into further analysis, Tobi repeated his earlier question. "It's not likely, un." And because he'd probably ask: "Some of the major villages might know by now who to look for: those wearing black cloaks with a red cloud pattern. So—"

"So since we're not wearing any, they won't notice us," Tobi excitedly interrupted. "Right Sempai?"

"Stop that!" Deidara made the mistake of casting Tobi a warning glare. His foot did not land properly on an upcoming branch, and the shinobi slipped and fell toward the earth.

The mistake was quickly corrected and Deidara landed gracefully on the forest floor. Less than a second later Tobi joined him, tense and hyper in activity. "Sempai!" he shouted. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he growled, and looked up toward the green treetops. The ceiling of leaves spaced a distance apart revealed a calm blue sky, the same color as the eye watching it.

Deidara pounced back into the treetops. Tobi shortly followed, remaining a few yards behind.

"When'll I get one?" Tobi asked after a minute or two of travel

"Get what?"

"An official Akatsuki cloak."

Deidara sighed. "You'll get one wh—" he stopped. A devilish smile spread. "When you finish one," he answered, a bit too kindly.

"Finish—what?" The masked man's voice squeaked sharply.

"Yeah," the blond confirmed turning his head slightly to the left. "We all have to make our own, un."

The cat-like grin grew as Tobi let out a groan. "Hey, these things aren't exactly available in stores, un." Deidara managed to hold in a laugh, though his voice did falter half-way through the sentence. Tobi lifted his head and cocked a suspicious eyebrow from behind the mask.

By the time the two halted for the night, the sun was already gone from the sky and the bright moon shined thickly in the black sky. Stars twinkled but were no match for the brilliance of the large white sphere millions of times smaller, yet millions of times closer to the earth. The Akatsuki entered a small village alive with nightly adventure. Lights from stores flooded the unpaved streets while wild children and teenagers ran about.

Because of their location, the town did not receive many visitors. But rather than bombarding Deidara and Tobi with sweet "welcomes" as the pair entered, they remained their distance from the freaks. Most residents turned from the stalls they bent over to steal a peak at the armless blond and masked man.

Deidara simply ignored them as he led the way toward the center of town in search of an inn. Tobi, meanwhile, seemed to shrink from the stares.

Their room was located on the second floor of the inn, overlooking a few busy stalls and shops. Tobi offered to go out and find some dinner once they were somewhat settled in. The blond agreed, mostly because he didn't want the brunet to watch embarrassing attempts at removing his clothes and taking a shower.

"Okay, byes!" Tobi chirped, flashing a peace sign as he exited the door. The moment Tobi was safely out of the room Deidara spat every foul word he could think of. Some were harsh enough to make even Hidan flinch.

He flung himself back onto the soft mattress and stared at the bland ceiling. Golden hair framed his tired face like a bright halo. But he did not feel the least bit heavenly. This angel was pissed beyond all measure, and he needed an outlet for the pent-up anger.

He went to work on removing the blood-stained shirt, unable to stand any longer the rough surface of dried blood. Deidara made attempt after attempt to get it off, slipping and sliding off and on the bed, twisting around into odd shapes, and biting at the shirt. By the time the shirt was finally off, his hair was in a mess of static and tangles, the red ponytail askew, the right side of his face covered by a loosened hitai-ate, and the bed covers out of symmetry.

As Deidara sat on the floor contemplating on how to remove his pants (he wanted to take a shower and wash the dirt and blood off), the door to the room opened and in walked his partner. Tobi nearly dropped the bag he carried. It managed to find a secure place on the small table beneath the window before Tobi fell into a fit of laughter.

"Shut up, un!" Deidara yelled, kicking the taller man. Tobi grunted with each fierce strike, but the laughter continued and eventually ceased.

"I-I got you a new shirt, Deidara-sempai," the brunet sniggered. He held out said shirt to the blond while keeping his gaze averted; seeing his sempai's fluffy head was sure to start him off again.

"Idiot!" the Iwa nin hissed demonically. Tobi dared himself to look, and burst out laughing again as Deidara's headband slowly slipped down over the remainder of his revealed eye. Again, Deidara round-house kicked him, managing to knock the air out of the taller man and fling off the Iwagakure headband. "Shut the fuck up, un!"

With a few gasps Tobi calmed himself down. "Sorry Sempai."

"Hmph!" The bed creaked under his weight as he sat. "So where's the food?"

"Right here!" Tobi fished through the bag and pulled out two square, plastic containers. One he placed on the small table, the other he held out to Deidara. "Want me to feed you?"

Blue eyes grew wide then narrowed, leering. "I am perfectly capable of feeding myself, un," he muttered through a clenched jaw. The blond walked over to the table and ordered for the set box to be opened. A glare sent Tobi off to the other side of the room to eat his dinner, taking with him the bag.

Deidara, his back to the other man, bent forward and dug his face into the meal of curry and rice. His lips and tongue worked carefully, eating the food as quickly but as cleanly as possible. "Hey Deidara-sempai, what's that thing on your chest?"

The blond stopped and turned slightly. Despite his best efforts, pieces of rice and slathers of curry managed to cling to his chin and around the area of his mouth. "My greatest masterpiece, un."

"Greatest masterpiece? But I thou—"

"Turn around and you die." Deidara could feel the drying bits of food plastered to his face, and he did not want to hear Tobi's shrill laughter again, mocking him.

"But I thought you saw art as being explosions." Deidara nodded, then answered since Tobi could not see it.

"Then…why's that tattoo your greatest masterpiece?"

Deidara snorted. "I wasn't talking about the tattoo, dumbass. It's just a seal to help create my greatest art, my largest and most beautiful detonation, un."

"'Most beautiful detonation', eh?" Tobi lifted his head to the ceiling. "That's gotta be huge."

It was. "Ten kilometers from the center," he confirmed with a proud smirk. Tingling energy ran through the blond's body at the thought of such a blast. Nothing would be able to survive it, the blast would destroy everything in its path, including himself. That's why he could only fantasize the magnificent explosion, and never experience the flash of light, the chunks of earth shooting through the air, or the pounding shockwave shaking one to the core.

"Whoa…" the other whispered hoarsely. Slowly the light in Deidara's sapphire eyes dimmed, and he returned to the rest of his meal. "So then…eww. That's gross!"

"Hmm? What is?" Deidara said through the last mouthful of dinner.

The ninja turned and pointed a dirty spoon at the artist. "You've got a mouth on your chest!" he paused. "And you've got something right there." Tobi pointed to the corner of his mouth with the other hand, or to where the corner of his mouth _would_ be. The shinobi had slipped his mask back over his visage to face the shorter ninja.

Deidara couldn't do much of anything besides work his tongue to lick the bit of curry away, turning to face the curtained window. Lucky Tobi had brought it to the blond's attention, else he would have found his ass swiftly kicked. But still it was strange: the masked man wasn't laughing. Deidara had just eaten his meal like a dog, and yet Tobi didn't find anything amusing about it. Whatever. At least he wasn't laughing, and instead getting ready for bed by the sound of it.

From the bathroom came the gurgles of running water. Probably Tobi brushing his teeth. Deidara didn't spin around to check; he was still concentrating on licking the food off his face. It was a losing battle; his tongue just wasn't long enough. The water stopped a few seconds later, and the soft padding of footsteps approached. "Let me help."

Deidara turned and met the warm, rough surface of a wet washcloth. "To-oomf-bi!" Tobi rubbed the cloth gently around the other's mouth and face. "The fuck?"

"There!" The masked man stepped back and admired Deidara's clean face. "I knew you couldn't clean it yourself, Deidara-sempai. So I decided to help."

"I don't need your help!" Deidara spat, and prepared to strike the brunet, lifting his leg.

"Oh, yah, you do!" Tobi forcefully poked the blond's slim chest. The prod sent Deidara stumbling back into the table. "Remember what sir leader said: we're partners whether you like it or not. Meaning we have to look out for each other."

Deidara failed to keep from growling. Tobi let out a tired sigh. "Really Sempai, are you always this crabby?"

"I'm not crabby, un." Deidara had to crane his neck to glare daggers through the single eye-hole in Tobi's orange mask.

Tobi lifted his shoulders and shrugged, then turned to head back to the bathroom. "Bet you weren't this way with Sasori," he muttered under his breath. Tobi did not know how right he was.

- - -

Sasori no Danna couldn't have cared less about Deidara's "art." Destruction wasn't a form of artistic expression. Only things which lasted deserved to be called works of "art," like his puppets or stone sculptures. "So then do you have a _magnum opus_, Sasori no Danna?" Deidara was the one to instigate the conversation—he usually was. Sasori was not the most sociable of people.

The redhead lifted his head and glanced at him. "Yes: myself," he answered shortly, impassively, quickly. For another minute or two neither traded a word. Sasori went back to his modifications of Hiruko, the large puppet he spent most time within.

"Want to know mine, un?" Deidara asked hopefully.

"Another explosion." Sasori never tore his lazy eyes from the inner workings of the puppet.

"Yes," Deidara admitted shakily. "But this one's greater, un. It can spread—"

"Hand me a screw." Sasori pointed to a shelf just above Deidara's golden head. Sitting upon a stool, the blond reached up and took the plastic container full of screws. He hopped off the seat and knelt to set the container down beside Sasori, who worked on the ground, the only place Hiruko could fit. The boy reached in and took one, then returned to innovations on the marionette while Deidara returned to his seat.

"Anyway, the blast has over a ten kilometer radius."

"And what's the point in having an explosion of such size?" the question did not sound the least bit eager for an answer. "I know you specialize in long-range attacks, but such a large blast seems a bit wasteful, even for a pyromaniac such as yourself." The screw was drilled in to place, and the wood squeaked in reply. It clacked, clapped, and chattered as Sasori worked with delicate fingers.

Amazing. How could such stiff fingers, the fingers of a wooden doll unable to feel, work so gently yet so powerfully? And with such rhythmic and fluid movement! Blue chakra strings flew from Sasori's polished fingertips and attached themselves to the head and arms of Hiruko. The puppet obeyed every small command: lifting its head up and down, arms swinging back and forth.

"It's beautiful. The very epitome of what art is: a fleeting expression of life, un." Deidara lifted his voice over the creaking noises of Hiruko.

"Idiot," Sasori muttered, flashing Deidara an inexpressive stare. "Only things which have a lasting place in this world can even begin to be labeled as 'art.' Unless something can be viewed by all, known by all, throughout time, it cannot be artistic in the least. Blowing things up isn't 'art.' It's just a waste of resources. Just a way to destroy."

The blond scowled from behind the wall of hair covering the left side of his face. It dispersed as Sasori stood and scanned the shelves. "Sasori no Danna?" Red-hazel eyes met Deidara's eager sapphire ones.

"Go get me some oil," he ordered, and took a piece of paper and pen out of a drawer. "And while you're at it, buy these ingredients."

He handed Deidara the paper upon which was scribbled the names of various herbs and plants. Deidara studied the list then the redhead. "I need them for a new poison. And if you don't hurry," his tired eyelids lowered, "I'll test it on you."

The blond artist dared not object. "U-un!" Sasori's eyes followed after Deidara who left in a flurry of gold and black. The closest village was at least an hour's length away, meaning it would take at least two to retrieve the necessary ingredients.

Deidara, despite a stubborn attitude, more often than not found himself obeying Sasori's every order, every whim. Why, he wondered. But the answer was obvious: he respected the fellow artist, and found his art of puppetry fascinating, to say the least. Though he dared not admit it, the blond felt somewhat _jealous_ of Sasori's advanced skill. Able to complete an attack with just the flinch of a finger, able to construct dozens of weapons and hide them inside the most intriguing of places. How could one _not _envy Sasori of the Red Sand?

Still, the impassive Sunagakure nin didn't _have_ to be so crude to his partner, ordering him around like some servant. Where'd he get the gall to do something like that? Perhaps it stemmed from a need for control. And control he got: Deidara listened to most commands, just like a puppet. A living, breathing puppet servant named Deidara.

The blond shook the idea from his mind. Sasori wasn't the one to be completely power-crazy, like another Akatsuki member everyone knew. Only every-now-and-then did the redhead mutter orders to the explosives artist. And all were completed in the swiftest fashion possible.

Less than two hours later Deidara returned to the base, carrying a bag containing all Sasori had requested (or demanded). Sasori took the bag and rummaged through it, not even bothering to thank the worn-out Iwa nin. "Hmm," there was an air of irritation in the doll's voice. He glowered, facing the other artist. "You forgot the oil."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Don't know why, but making Armless!Dei's life difficult is...kinda fun. Probably be more armless tribulations in the next chapter, which will probably not be up for a while. I'm still fairly busy. Guess that's why this chapter took so long to write. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry for the sudden disappearance then reappearance of this chapter. I posted it earlier but then found there was still a lot I wanted to change. So sorry about that.

* * *

Chapter 4

Maybe he wasn't such a bother after all. _Maybe._ He was easy to control at least. A swift kick to the shin solved most problems of disobedience. And he always tried to please him. Whatever he barked out ("Get me that!" "Don't touch!" "Hurry up, un!") was quickly obeyed and completed. And did he complain? A little, but only when the task seemed outrageous, like hanging his own ass off a tree.

It was…empowering having someone follow every order, correcting every complaint, running about like an idiot solely for the purpose of amusing his needs. Tobi was a loyal partner who would do anything to help his handicapped sempai survive. Maybe that's why Sasori no Danna had ordered Deidara around before: it gave him a sense of power, ownership, control.

The morning after Tobi's third violation of Deidara's personal space was when it started. Brushing his own hair, teeth, and pulling on a shirt turned out too great a task for him alone. Of course, with a little more time he could have figured it out no problem. But they were in a hurry. And Tobi, being the sole person nearby with the necessary appendages available, was the only one who could help.

At first Deidara would have rather eaten the stumps of his own arms than dare ask _Tobi_ for help, thereby admitting a weakness—something he dare never confess. But again, they were in a hurry and needed to set out. The blond had stood over by the sink, staring down upon the pair of toothbrushes and hairbrush Tobi had bought, (much of Deidara's own supplies were lost or destroyed in the fight against the Konoha nin and Gaara) waiting for some magic to move them. When a warm body pressed its heat against his bare back, Deidara murmured, "I need to brush my teeth, un," in as low a voice possible.

Throughout the rest of the morning, the blond found more uses for the masked shinobi. Brushing golden and tangled (and still fluffy with static) hair, and pulling on Deidara's new shirt, for example. Eventually Deidara even permitted Tobi to _feed_ him. This only came to pass after the second day of travel, when, at the end of the day, the front of the brand new shirt was left dirtied by scraps of food from breakfast and dinner. Every morning Tobi changed the bandages on Dei's arms, and healed any cuts or scars left behind. "To keep them from infecting," he explained, voice softer than usual.

All this, and more, Tobi did without the least bit of thanks from the artist. But Deidara needn't have offered; Tobi was just glad his sempai was starting to get used to the idea of them as partners (at least, he hoped). Acceptance was all the masked shinobi craved.

They traveled together always in the same formation: Deidara sprinting ahead a few meters before Tobi, and Tobi giving small objections to Deidara's speed, which increased steadily. Without arms, there wasn't much elsewhere for his chakra to flow. Usually his arms were filled with chakra ready to inject into chewed up clay. But without arms to occupy, the extra chakra needed another outlet and found one through Deidara's feet.

Every night they rested in a small village apart from major towns or highways. No one paid them heed; they were just travelers. It came as no surprise, however, that every time they entered a town, the two received curious and sorry stares. They must have thought, Deidara concluded, the two were from the same region—the Land of Stone.

Ninja wars rampaged the lands years ago, so of course there had to be survivors carrying battle wounds. That must have been what the citizens thought. Deidara, with his armless state and damaged hitai-ate, was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of war. And Tobi was his companion. Only in some minds did the swirly orange mask make sense. A mask to hide from the world a scarred and distorted face.

The two Akatsuki did not see many happy and cheerful faces on their way across the country. Though many shop owners did give a wave of gratitude to Tobi as he exited their stores, having purchased rare ornaments and trinkets with the money he and Deidara shared. All these purchases he made behind Deidara's back. A rough pounding was sure to come should the numerous souvenirs be discovered. The trinkets were kept hidden in a backpack, traded for at one of the villages the two entered.

Tobi was thoughtful enough to buy a bag for Deidara as well, which he, Tobi, later thanked heaven for doing. As soon as he came through the door to their hotel room, the blond hopped up and asked (rather demanded) to see what weighed down the pack. Tobi answered by showing Deidara the one reserved for him, complete with buckles and straps to tie around his chest and waist. The artist forced down a smile and kicked Tobi for mocking his position. Next day found the blond sporting the backpack.

They seemed to be making good time. They were out of Fire Country within four days—perfect, the blond thought proudly—and heading towards the Land of Lightning at record pace. But they had to be careful.

The Akatsuki, being a most secretive and surreptitious group, kept many hidden bases. Some were reserved for communication purposes, extracting the chakra out of Jinchūriki and bijū, or as places of refuge and relaxation. The last of the three was the rarest with only two built on the large super continent. One was settled just beyond the Land of Rice Fields (Sound Country), the area ex-member Orochimaru led; and the other located in the Land of Rain's Hidden Village, Amegakure, the home of sir Leader himself.

The latter of the two was off limits to all those without permission from the Akatsuki Leader, one reason being the stringent guarding of the border and another because too many Akatsuki were sure to cause a problem in the small country of rain. So the one located beyond Orochimaru's territory was the only available place of refuge for Deidara and Tobi, Kakuzu and Hidan, and Zetsu.

At breakfast the morning of the fifth day Deidara's leg bounced restlessly up and down beneath the table, jarring the contents of Tobi's plate. He didn't have much of an appetite, consuming only two small cartons of orange juice.

Deidara stared out the window, his mind elsewhere. Immediately after Tobi made to stand Deidara shot up from his seat and stood by the door. Tobi strapped the special backpack to him. "I could do this myself, you know, un."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Tobi was used to Deidara's objections by now, and trained himself not to reply, "So then why don't you?" Such a question would surely earn him a broken shin. But though the blond dare not admit a fault, small hints now and then did help in making Tobi's partnership with the armless pyro easier.

Like always they set out early, just after the sun had risen. Tobi handled checking out; Deidara handled standing there looking pretty. Sometimes people took pity on the couple and gave them special discounts. Kakuzu was sure to be pleased they had at least _tried_ to keep the money spending to a minimum. Especially since Tobi's souvenir shopping was quickly depleting them of ryou. Tobi promised to pay Deidara back.

The day was like any other: calm, sky dotted with clouds and morning mist, and a light breeze blowing from the north. Sooner than expected, they reached the boundary of the Sound Country. Before entering Deidara made an abrupt halt and held out his arm for Tobi to do the same. "What's the hold up?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Well I know two plus two equals four," Tobi held his chin in his hand, dramatizing the thought process. "And that water plus earth equals mud. And—"

"That's not what I meant, un." Tobi deserved to be kicked for the smart-ass answer.

"So then," Tobi shifted his weight and rested a gloved hand on his hip, "why we stopping?"

A blue eye shot ahead to the faded mountains sitting on the horizon, just above the sea of leaves. Towards the north the trees grew fainter in amount, and it became easier to see what lay ahead. The Land of Rice Fields was rightly named: the geography of the land made it perfect for growing the grain. Not many forests or gorges or rocky mountain ranges, just flat plains with the occasional sloping hills and rain. The air was cooler toward the north but not too cold. Pleasant.

"Because we're about to enter a lowly snake in the grass's nest, un." Deidara watched Tobi's response—a slow nod of the head.

"So you're afraid of snakes? Must be. I mean most of your clay creations in real life are simple meals for snakes. So I guess—OW!"

"Quiet!" Deidara hissed and removed his foot from atop Tobi's. "You want the whole country to hear you, shithead?"

Tobi clamped his jaw shut and covered the mask's mouth. Muffled shouts of agony escaped him, and he put a hand on the tree trunk for support. When the act ended and he turned to face his partner, Deidara was gone, sprinting twenty yards ahead. "Deidara-sempai! Wait!"

But the blond did not wait. In fact, he ran faster. Surrounded by the territory Sasori's former partner, the infamous Orochimaru, controlled kept the ninja on edge and alert. At any moment they could be attacked. Two shinobi—more like on and a half—against a whole country of well-trained ninja weren't good odds. Deidara had yet to see any of Tobi's skills as a ninja (besides his healing jutsu). And not to mention without arms, Deidara had little access to his clay or weapons. So—his stomach dropped—the odds were more like a whole country teeming of Sound ninja against the small skill of half a person.

A rustling of leaves behind. Deidara turned in mid-air, brow furrowed to whoever leapt to attack. He just barely managed to dodge the blur of orange and black flying past. Tobi had caught up. Deidara cursed himself, landed on a branch, and once again took lead.

Eventually the forest grew thin, and the two proceeded along the flat plains filled with rice fields. Though the country was controlled by a power-hungry snake there still existed an element of peace in the small homes dotting the landscape. These homes cared for the needy grain like loving parents to their children. A far different atmosphere than that plaguing the foreigners' lives.

Deidara could recall the first time he traveled through the Land of Rice Fields. It was after his (forced) initiation into the Akatsuki. Two times—that's how often he'd visited the country. Both with Sasori no Danna, the greatest protection one could ask for against surprise attacks.

As their cover faded, and they were forced to run the land, their speed decreased dramatically. They followed the dirt paths cutting through the overflowing fields, taking it slowly so as not to arouse alarm or draw undue attention.

Under different circumstances the blond may have allowed for Tobi to lead. But two factors prevented him: it was unlikely Tobi, being a newbie to the gang, had any knowledge of the whereabouts of the Akatsuki's home; and letting Tobi lead would be like admitting he could not defend himself. Still…

Dark eyebrows rose from behind the wall of orange. Deidara, who had been walking ahead a few feet, slowed his pace to match that of Tobi's, so they walked side-by-side. "Something wrong, Deidara-sempai?"

"I hope not, un." The answer did little to unnerve either of them.

As the day went on so did the sun. It set beyond the high, misty mountains settled on the horizon, and the moon rose in its place. Lucky for them it was full. Thick rays of moonlight lit up the area, and they were able to walk a distance before setting up camp in a small grove of trees off the side of the road. The light also helped to unnerve the Iwa nin. An enemy was less likely to attack with the air lit up.

Deidara waited patiently as Tobi collected wood, built a fire, laid out sleeping bags, and removed the blond's backpack which, strapped to him, he could not do on his own. All this time blue eyes darted right and left at any sound or hint of motion.

"You okay sempai?" Tobi sat on his haunches near the burning fire, cooking their meal.

Deidara cast a scowl at him, then looked away, not bothering with a sarcastic reply. A low groan escaped him as his arms moved to fold over his chest. Armless-ness was still taking some getting used to.

Tobi volunteered to take first watch, hoping to somehow calm the blond with a bit of sleep. At first Deidara disagreed, but soon succumbed to the taller man's insistence. "Wake me up if anything happens, un."

"Got it!" Tobi gave his partner a confident 'thumbs up.' Deidara turned away from the light and shut his eyes before they could soak up any more of the brunet's goofy nature.

Sleep did not come easy. Every time his mind started drifting away into an unconscious state, a doubt, worry, or short flash of an attack would wake him. It was unnerving being here. He'd heard of the things Orochimaru was capable of, most of which made his skin crawl just thinking about. A man who leapt from body to body every couple of years, regurgitated serpents and copies of himself, and wore other people's skin like a suit. Disgusting!

Tobi turned his head at the sound of a tired groan. "Can't sleep?"

Deidara sat up and glared. Light from the fire intensified the contours of his face, and the subtle glare took on a sadistic air. Tobi frowned beneath the mask and shrank, hugging his legs closer to his chest.

After a moment or two, Deidara stood, with some difficulty. Tobi moved to steady him. "Pack up. We're leaving, un!"

Tobi stood there, hand gripping the other's shoulder. The blond shrugged it off and went to kick dirt on the fire. "But why?" Tobi asked as thick wisps of smoke rose from the dying flames.

"Because the sooner we leave here the better, un," Deidara answered, kicking up more dirt. "And if that means an all-night run then so be it!"

Without any protest Tobi hurriedly picked up camp. The artist paced around anxiously as he did, barking for him to hurry. "I am, I am!"

Deidara started to walk before Tobi finished, having become fed up with the masked man's sluggish movement. With a shout Tobi quickly followed and caught up, carrying the artist's forgotten backpack. He remained a stride's length behind.

Crickets chirped excitedly, and soft breezes rolled across the flat ground and licked at their exposed skin. It would have been a nice walk in the moonlight if not for the noise rising above the insects. It resembled the buzz of a cricket, but different. More annoying, and piercing.

Deidara shook his head in an attempt to rid him of the buzz. If only he had some finger to plug up his ears. The cricket tormented him for the next half hour, dominating his concentration. They almost managed to miss a turn thanks to it.

Just when he was about to blow a fuse and go after the annoying insect, a quick yelp from behind made him whirl around and stumble back. Tobi landed with a deep thud on the ground, barely missing knocking over Deidara in the process. Blowing a strand of blond hair back into place, Deidara scoffed at his partner's clumsiness.

The masked nin crawled onto his knees and rubbed the top of his head and chuckled an apology. His foot rolled over a stone jutting out of the ground as he stood. The idiot! That's what he gets for wearing a mask with only one eyehole. "C'mon!" Deidara motioned for him to follow, and soundlessly warned the brunet to watch his step.

The shrill cry of the cricket continued to drill deep into his brain. It was so annoying! He tried to block it out, concentrating rather on the path ahead and the stars and moon above. The stars and moon which, strangely, didn't look right. Tiredness—that's all it could be. And the irritating chirp of the damn cricket! Somehow Deidara found himself forcing down a small laugh. The cricket was starting to sound worse than Tobi.

Speaking of which…

"Tobi," Deidara broke the silence of fifteen minutes, and peered at the taller man over his shoulder. "I want you to—AH!" The world dropped down from under him and flew toward his face. About to collide, Tobi reached out and grabbed the back of Deidara's shirt. The blond knelt to the ground and cursed. He turned to see what he had tripped on, and his eyes grew wide.

A rock protruding from the ground had caused him to stumble. Deidara scrambled to his feet and jerked his head every way around. The surrounding fields and clumps of trees looked oddly familiar. He towered over the rock, staring down with his brow furrowed. "Something wrong?" Tobi asked, leaning over the shorter man's shoulder, hands on his hips.

Deidara gave him a look, then turned about and bolted into a run. The masked man stood there, stunned. He followed with a shout to his sempai.

Minutes later the blond came to a dead halt. When Tobi caught up to him, he peered down at what Deidara was staring flabbergasted upon. It was a rock. The same rock both shinobi had tripped over, in the exact same spot in the road, in the exact same area of field. Confusion gave way to anger.

"Tobi!" Deidara spun around to his partner, his back to the bright moon. He flipped his long blond fringe over his shoulder, unveiling the scope underneath. "Take this off and hold onto it, un."

With a nod Tobi reached out and unclipped the eyepiece from Deidara's shadowed face. The artist scrunched his eyes closed as the machine tugged at his skin. Hesitating a second, Tobi tucked the long strands behind Deidara's ear before pulling away. The large pupil of Deidara's left eye grew and shrank as it adjusted to the dim light. Closing his right eye, the Iwa nin spun slowly around and scanned the area. Tobi stood by, holding the scope in his gloved hands. His weight shifted from foot to foot. Deidara's unease was starting to rub off.

Deidara's trained eye searched everything: the sky, the ground, the mountains, the sparse trees, and the rock. Everything was as it was before. He bit his lip.

This wasn't a genjutsu. This wasn't an illusion.

Were they just going around in circles? No, the path they'd been taking wasn't supposed to be circular. Then what the hell was going on? Deidara crumpled his brow and stared at the ground.

Thoughts and suppositions were interrupted by the same cricket as before. Its cry filled his mind with shrill screeches. He tried to ignore it, but like Tobi, there was no getting rid of it. Deidara forced his eyes tightly shut and lifted the stumps of his arms over his ears.

Now everything was muffled, except the sound of that insect. It violated the barrier. The artist growled. No way could he concentrate like this!

Something prodded him in the back, distracting him further. He shrugged Tobi's hand away and increased the pressure on his ears. He barely heard what the taller man said. The sound of the insect was driving him crazy!

At last Deidara snapped. "Tobi, find that damned cricket and kill—"

"Sempai!"

"—IT!" All the air within Deidara's lungs were forced out as Tobi tackled him to the ground. Maybe if he'd been paying a bit more attention to the surrounding world and not the buzz of insects, he may have noticed the quick zip of flying kunai and shuriken cutting the air where he and Tobi had just stood.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I am not a _Naruto_ geography expert nor do I claim to know the locations of the Akatsuki hideouts. That part is mainly just supposition, so don't quote me on it. So...suspense...harder than I thought it'd be. Now I must go finish my homework.


	5. Chapter 5

Before the Iwa nin could collect himself, draw a breath and stop the rabid pulsing of his heart, an arm wrapped itself around his waist and pulled him up into the air. His feet dangled awkwardly in empty space as Tobi shot forward, carrying Deidara under his arm. Flying shuriken, gleaming in the thick moonlight, dug deep into the ground where the two had been a second earlier.

Blond hair fell before his face and whipped at his skin. It was irritating. Almost as irritating as the God damned cricket! Amazing how such a small insect could fill his mind, even in a situation like this.

When at last Deidara found his bearings, Tobi slowed down to a halt in front of a fork in the road. His head twisted right and left, and he whined impatiently. "Go left, un!" the blond shouted, blowing a piece of hair away.

"Right!"

"No, left. And put me down," he added, kicking his legs and just barely skimming the ground with his toes. Damn Tobi's height!

"Roger!" But before Tobi could set the blond down a set of five shuriken targeted them again. The masked shinobi managed to leap away just in time. "Whoa!"

Deidara grunted. He hated being jostled around like this, like some doll or piece of luggage. "Tobi let me go, un!"

He would've, if only whatever enemy hidden away would stop throwing pointy projectiles at his feet. He leapt back again and again, then turned and ran, still carrying Deidara under his arm. Whatever or whoever was following them was fast. They needed to get away. "Soon as I can, sempai!"

Deidara had to tuck in his legs or else have his feet scratched and bruised by the ground and obstacles in the road. No matter how many times he protested, Tobi kept running. At least the man was fast.

At last they stopped in a small grove of trees. As Tobi set Deidara down, he noticed the striking resemblance of this grove of trees to the grove of trees they'd been in just over an hour ago. "Uh oh," he sang slowly. This _was_ the same place.

Deidara muttered an obscenity as Tobi gathered a kunai from Deidara's pack in his hand and stepped before the blond. He ordered for the taller to hand him a weapon. At first the brunet was skeptical, and merely glanced back to make sure Deidara was still in one piece. The seriousness of the Iwa nin's face, the way he furrowed his brow in preparation for battle, assured him of Deidara's intent.

He fished out another kunai and held it out for Deidara to take, wondering how he would be able to hold one without hands. Deidara answered by clamping onto the handle with his mouth, nipping Tobi's fingers. Now he didn't feel so helpless. He'd managed to fend off several ninja single-handedly before, armless. This time should be no problem.

The incessant chirping of the cricket, which had been going on since their departure from camp, came to an abrupt halt. An eerie silence of night fell in.

"We know you're there! C'mon—OW!" Deidara kicked the back of Tobi's leg. Way to reveal their position, dumbass.

More weapons flew in response to the cry. They shot from behind, and Deidara was able to dodge most of them. Two needles plunged into his left thigh while one hit Tobi in the back. The masked man quickly pulled the weapon out.

The blond turned to face the enemy ninja, pressing his back against Tobi's. A soft chuckle emanated from the shadows cast by the trees. "Just like a mouse cornered." The cocky voice sounded female, and young.

Hand on her hip, the raven-haired kunoichi of the Sound walked into the moonlight. She wore the regular Sound ninja uniform: dark blue-gray camouflage and headband, tied around her throat. Earrings in the shapes of small bells jingled with each step.

So this was who had been following them? Deidara nudged Tobi in the back. But the tall man did not move. Biting hard onto the leather surface of the handle, Deidara guessed there must have been more than one person tailing them. He was right.

The teenage kunoichi jerked her head, signaling for the others to move into place. Deidara glanced right and left. There were two others, each having a similar outfit to that of the female. One wore a large butt-bow, the other sported a sword sheath upon which his hand lay. "I see you're not from these parts."

Fuck. He only noticed just then the cold pressure on his forehead. "Explain."

"Deidara-sempai and I are just passing through," Tobi answered flatly, keeping his mask on the two.

The kunoichi's coal eyes narrowed. "Passing through to _where_?" her slow voice dripped with suspicion.

"To the Aka—gah!" Tobi yelped as the blond nudged him roughly. One dark eyebrow rose on the kunoichi's face.

"Akaga? What's that?"

"Oh, um…" Tobi straightened up and tapped the bottom of his mask. "Just a small village on the outskirts of the Land of Rice Fields. On the northeastern side. Yeah, that's where."

The girl frowned. "Is that so?" Tobi nodded, still not turning to face her. "Never heard of it." Deidara breathed in sharply. Distrust was obviously growing. If Tobi didn't learn to lie more convincingly, they were doomed.

"Well, it's pretty small. But they've got some good plants there," he added quickly. "And I have this friend, see, who likes plants."

The kunoichi regarded the back of his head like the idiot he was. Slowly she lifted a hand to her ear and flicked the bell. Both Akatsuki flinched as pain shot through their ears. "You actually expect me to believe that?" she chuckled with a sly smile.

Deidara bared his teeth at her, his face twitching from the throbbing pain.

A kunai twirled in her hand, then came to an abrupt stop, she eyeing the pair with a proud smirk. "Orochimaru-sama told us to capture any suspicious characters," she said and held up the weapon menacingly. "So I suggest you not resist."

All three Sound ninja approached. Deidara heard the screech of a sword being drawn and the jingling of chains. Both Akatsuki stepped back, pressing against each other, surrounded. Blue eyes kept glued to the kunoichi while Tobi's darted between both shinobi.

The masked man yelped again as something pushed him, sending him tumbling forward. The Sound shinobi, not far from him, moved out of the way as Tobi tripped twice, stopped in mid-fall, then bounced into a run. "Fuck! Get him!" the kunoichi, hypnotized by the show, screamed to her comrades.

They listened and followed. She turned back to the blond. "You," she growled, then chuckled.

Deidara scowled; he knew what she found so funny. Finding the need to clarify, the kunoichi started a series of insults to make at the armless blond. "You gonna fight me, Stubby? Don't you need your partner to give you a hand? Ha!"

The blond growled, wishing to the heavens to shut her up with a good bomb. His foot scratched against the dirt and he burst into a run. But before he could get more than a few feet, a piercing, drilling, shrill sound rang in his ears. It hurt so badly that it paralyzed him.

Squinting his eyes, Deidara turned his head back to the girl, who smirked triumphantly, her hand to her ear and ready to flick again. The blond's eyes widened with realization. So that was it. The sound of the cricket returned.

Meanwhile Tobi also came to a stop. But it wasn't because of a pain in his ears. It was because of a pain in his chest. He stopped before a pack of trees to face the two ninja. Though they'd probably run for some time (at least a few seconds), their distance wasn't that far from the clearing. If he concentrated, he could just make out the gleam of Deidara's yellow hair in the moonlight.

Cursing, Tobi held out his kunai to the ninja, and announced boldly, "We mean you no harm. Just leave us alone. _Please?_" he added weakly in a sweet whimper. Butt-bow chuckled, swinging the chain with a blade at the end faster, making a sound like a fan. Gulp.

Deidara tried to side-step again and again, trying to get away or find some area the sound waves faltered in. But each time he tried the kunoichi interfered. A log, stone, tree, or clump of leaves would suddenly appear or disappear each time he moved, and the pain would returned, sending a stale shiver up and down his spine. Like nails on a chalkboard.

She was using a sound technique. By manipulating her chakra, she could control the sound waves the bells made, increasing or decreasing their pitch to her liking. And by doing that, she could mess with the enemy's senses, in this case Tobi and Deidara's.

The blond artist couldn't help but smile a little, silently thanking Sasori no Danna. Despite the situation he felt a small twinge of remorse in his stomach, and probably of longing. Nothing like a puppet's quick scorpion tail to take care of enemy ninja.

Instead he had…Tobi. The idiot better have gotten away. "So you gonna give up? Put your hands in the air and say you surrender." _Damn her._

He didn't know what caused him to do it (maybe it was her horrible puns), but suddenly his legs were moving, fast, and the girl's shocked form was coming up. Bending his leg, Deidara roughly kneed her in the stomach, making her grunt and gasp.

Turning his head, Deidara slashed at her throat with the kunai in his mouth. Recovering quickly, she blocked the kunai with her own and grabbed onto the blond's leg and flung him down onto his back. Air whisked out of him, and his brain felt ready to explode out his forehead. The hard surface of the kunai handle banged against his teeth and rattled the rest of his skull. Deidara kicked his leg out of her grip and used his other leg to swipe her off her feet.

The kunoichi fell with a small scream. Two inner thighs and the heals of a pair of feet digging into pulsing veins encompassed her neck. He had her.

_Now who's laughing? _Deidara thought, and, just for the hell of it, _That's what happens when you try to get a_head_ of yourself._

Unlike another dark-haired ninja, however, this girl was smart. She grabbed Deidara's shins and tried to pry them away. Deidara started the process of choking her. The familiar gag that followed made him smirk delightedly.

It soothed him, made him feel as though nothing could defeat him. He couldn't be defeated. Even armless, he was better than a Sound ninja, better than any ninja. Only a good explosion could make that moment perfect.

Then it all disappeared.

A sharp pain rippled up and down his leg. Something sharp and wide was forcing its way through the side of his foot, digging and moving right and left, through muscle and bone alike.

It hurt like hell! Deidara opened his scrunched eyes to see what it was that was causing this agony.

The kunoichi was hurriedly drilling her kunai into his foot, and though her face was a dark shade of red, her strength did not abate. The blond bit down, hard, on the kunai handle.

Now it was a race. Who would give in first? The shinobi or kunoichi? It had to be her, he decided.

As the pressure on her neck increased, so did the ferocity of the knife. It pierced his skin with minimal effort, sliced through the thin layer of tissue, and scrapped against the bone. Nerves in the bone pounded with pain as she carved. He could hear it, sickeningly scratching away.

At last he couldn't take it any longer. He released her, recoiling his legs away and sitting up. She gasped and coughed as oxygen filled her lungs.

Deidara winced at the sight of his injury. On the inner side of his right foot a deep crimson clouded and spread across the white fabric of his sock. He dared not look into the side hole from where the warm liquid dripped.

"You fucking piece of shit!"

A sandal connected with Deidara's face, sending him sideways into the dirt. Somehow the kunai stayed in his mouth.

Before the Sound kunoichi could have a chance at another kick, Deidara scrambled to his feet and belted into a run. He let out a muffled howl of pain at the first step her took, then stumbled and fell to his knees two seconds later.

Deidara stood up, his knees shaking with pain. He tried moving his weight to his left but when he did, the needles from earlier, still plunged deep into his thigh muscle, sent out small shocks of pain. There was no choice. Somehow, he had to fight and defeat the kunoichi with both legs injured.

Right on cue, the female appeared, as if a ghost, out of the shadows cast by full tree branches blocking the moonlight. "Enough of this game of cat and mouse already!" she hissed.

Slowly the kunoichi reached up to her ear and held the bell with her thumb and forefinger. Immediately the sound of the cricket, which had been present throughout the battle, ceased.

Tobi, noticing this, turned his head. "Gosh, I hope Deidara-sempai's okay," he mused, putting a finger to his mask.

He looked down from his perch. Below him hunched the two tired and panting Sound shinobi. So far their own battle was going pretty okay. It was fun throwing these guys off and messing with their heads with quick movements. "You guys gonna give up yet?" Tobi asked them, hands on his hips.

They glared up, baring white teeth. Guess not. The brunet let out a low groan.

Forefinger and thumb ran over the golden surface of the bell earring, glinting in the opaque lighting. She was toying with him, waiting for him to keel over.

Deidara glowered at her, hating her to the core for fucking up his ankle and thigh. If only he could reach his clay. Even without hand-mouths, he could still force chakra into the white matter and make it explode on command. But that would require complex movements of which he was unable to conjure thanks to the bleeding hole in his foot.

She clicked her tongue, bored with this waiting. Slowly, the raven-haired kunoichi released the bell and spread her hand, curling in her middle finger and thumb. In one quick motion she set the bell into a ringing fit.

Deidara scrunched his eyes, prepared to feel the needle pain in his ear. But nothing came. He blinked, then blinked again. Still nothing.

He blinked a third time. Nothing. But…

The blond shinobi stumbled back. The heel of his foot banged against a fallen log and he stopped. Eyelids suddenly heavy he swayed. The kunai, which he had been holding onto fiercely, fell from his mouth with a thick coating of saliva on the handle.

His eyelids drooped down, connected, and glued together. They broke apart seconds later and fell again. Solid ground which had stood just beneath him disappeared as the world turned sideways. Deidara was unconscious before hitting the ground, and a good thing too. Needles digging further into one's muscle tissue had to hurt.


	6. Chapter 6

"So who's this Orochimaru I've been hearing about, un?"

"A lowly snake in the grass," Sasori replied gruffly. He watched Deidara toss a shiny red apple into the air and catch it in a rhythmic pattern. Annoyance flashed across coal-black eyes. The kid matched his gaze then shifted to stare at the misted, purple and gray mountains miles behind the bulking figure.

Dozens of rice paddies covered the landscape at the foot of smooth hills. A rare crane stalked about in the shallow waters searching for food. It moved gracefully, lifting its long legs and causing ripples in the water only a creature native to the environment could produce. Deidara studied the animal and made a note to remember its form. The slenderness of its body would be perfect in attacks calling for quick aerodynamics.

"Would you stop that?" Deidara blinked and ripped his cerulean eyes from the beautiful creature. He caught the apple and held it.

"What?" he asked, adding some bite to the word.

The older ninja remained silent for a while then turned his wrinkled head down the dirt path. "You done resting yet?" He glanced quickly at the younger man.

A curling smirk formed at the corner of Deidara's mouth. "Nope!" And to prove it, he fell back onto the stone he sat on, using one arm as a pillow and taking a bite of the apple. Sasori groaned and the blond smiled further.

This was his first time being in Rice Country. He'd heard tales of the country's beautifully serene landscape, of the way the clear sky connected to the mountains in a thickening fog, and of the way one could forget all the world by just staring into the still waters of rice fields. He wasn't about to let an opportunity like this pass by so soon.

Plus hearing the annoyance in Sasori's voice was kind of amusing.

Deidara sat up and, scanning over the horizon, finished the apple. He tossed the core into the bushes behind him. A disgruntled sigh emanated from deep within Sasori's throat.

"Brat. You never think do you?" He said this quietly, almost to himself, but just loud enough for the younger nin to hear.

"Are you ready to go now?" he asked, louder this time.

"Un!" the blond nodded before jumping off the rock. The older man gave the other a narrowed glare before facing the path and crawling forward. Deidara followed.

"So what is this Orochimaru besides a 'lowly snake in the grass?'"

"Orochimaru is one of the three legendary sannin, Konoha nin possessing Kage level skill. Like myself, most of Akatsuki are of the same skill. Though I doubt you're even close to that." Deidara scowled at the remark. "Orochimaru also used to be my partner before he left Akatsuki."

The blond bomber folded his arms. "I already know that." Orochimaru's name had come up in conversation several times between the three older Akatsuki members shortly after Deidara's battle with Itachi. He caught them using both Sasori and Orochimaru's names in the same sentence, along with partner. It didn't take a genius to figure out their earlier relationship.

Sasori let out another vexed growl. "Then there's no point in telling you why he left Akatsuki."

The scowl marking Deidara's face deepened. That was one thing he was not completely sure on. From what he knew, Orochimaru was a force to be reckoned with, an S-ranked criminal of the highest degree. So why would Akatsuki allow such a power to leave? Sasori eyed the long frown on Deidara's face, taking it as a silent answer.

"Orochimaru developed a technique to make himself immortal. In order for the technique to work, he has to possess another person's body every few years. Before he left Akatsuki, he attempted taking over Uchiha Itachi's body but failed thanks to the boy's sharingan. Akatsuki does not look well on traitors," Sasori added with a sidelong glance at the younger artist beside him.

Deidara did not pay attention to the stare. The mere mention of immortality, of permanency, and not to mention the _sharingan_, made his eyes narrow in contempt. "Why would anyone want to live forever, un? Life would just be boring."

"You think immortality is boring?" Something in the gruff voice drew Deidara away from the pompous air with which he walked. His blue eyes swept to a steely onyx pair staring back underneath a conical straw hat. After a few seconds they slid away.

"My guess is Orochimaru's just afraid to die." The monotone grumble on the edge of irritation returned. "Orochimaru also took over this whole country."

Deidara halted a second, his one visible eye wide. "How?"

"He's one of the legendary sannin and a former Akatsuki member. How do you _think_?" Sasori glanced at the blond and took in the stunned look plastering his face. "Don't be so surprised. From what I've heard, all Orochimaru had to do was let his reputation precede him and persuade the feudal lord to let him build a hidden village, Otogakure." Village hidden in the sound.

The shock faded from Deidara's face. Then, suddenly, stomach dropping and mouth going dry, a dread took over. The young artist swore and glanced over his shoulder to find the path completely barren.

Sasori caught the motion and sighed. "Dumb brat. Akatsuki don't make such amateur mistakes."

Deidara pressed his lips together in a frown, not daring to look down on the older, more experienced Akatsuki dragging along beside him.

Less than half an hour later, the attack began.

Like those trained to use sound as their main advantage, they advanced quietly, undetected, waiting in the branches of the surrounding forest for the perfect time to attack. Soundlessly, several kunai shot at the pair.

Deidara and Sasori jumped apart to avoid the knives. Still in mid-air, Deidara dug his hands into the clay pouches hanging from his hips. The mouths growing out of his palms greedily ate the soft clay, chewed it, then spat it out. Just as he landed Deidara clenched his fists and allowed both chakra and skilled tongues to morph the claw into small, spider-like sculptures. Sasori, meanwhile, landed with a dull thud a few meters away.

The clay spiders crawled down their creator's frame and went in search of the ambushers. A smirk grew on the artist's face.

Sasori lifted his head and scanned the surrounding landscape. Rice fields bordered the path with trees growing up from the opposite, shallow shores. There the Sound nin hid and from there they struck again.

Shuriken went whizzing after their targets, slicing through the fresh, calm air. Deidara jumped to avert them and met with another pair launched to counter such a move. In less than a second a long, thick white snake erupted from the mouth in Deidara's palm and blocked the sharp tools.

Deidara landed firmly on the ground, his open-toed sandals digging into the loose dirt and folds of his robe flapping wildly from the momentum. His ears barely had time to register the whistle of another attack before he had to dodge again.

This time, when he turned to face the advancing weapons, he caught the sender standing in the middle of the path between him and older Akatsuki. Evading the projectiles, Deidara also noticed the unfamiliar symbol marking the boy's hitai-ate—an eighth note.

His eyes dashed to Sasori's hulking form just beyond the shinobi. Another ninja with the same style headband, wielding several menacing weapons and grinning triumphantly, opposed the Akatsuki member.

"Are you just going to stand there?" came the gruff voice of Deidara's partner.

The ninja, a boy with short red hair, let out a humored sigh. "We were told to take in prisoners _alive_." He obviously did not see the old hunchback as more than a mild threat.

"I hate overconfident brats like you."

_Boom _went the clay spider surreptitiously clinging to the boy's back. Deidara's smirk turned toothy as the Sound nin stumbled forward from the blast, blood and bone flying from the large wound.

Deidara hurled the clay snake at the remaining enemy, distracting him just long enough to make it back to his partner's side. The Sound nin slashed the snake in half with a quickly drawn katana. The brunet grimaced at the site of his fallen teammate, spotting his burnt, bruised, and ruptured body behind the two foreigners.

Biting his thumb and drawing blood, the Sound nin reached into a pouch strapped to the small of his back and pulled out a scroll. But before he could open it and summon whatever weapon or animal the scroll was made for, the blond bomber lifted his hands in a characteristic seal.

"_Katsu!_"

An orb of yellow and white grew out of the man's back then bloomed into a flower of light brown smoke, blasting with a resounding scream of agony. Pieces of the Sound ninja rained down and stained the calm waters crimson. His broken body landed face-down in the mud.

"Watch it, brat!"

Two more shinobi appeared behind and in front of the pair. They each carried a large scroll on their backs, which they then un-strapped and threw, in a curving flight, at one another, forming a circle of paper decorated with complex designs. In less than a second they formed their summoning.

Like a violent rain, a wall of kunai, shrunken, and other blades shot at the pair from all sides. A cage of knives surrounded them with no gap big enough for even the most dexterous of escapes. Devoid of all forms of safety, Deidara did the only thing he could. He threw a hand instinctively into his clay pouch, fell into a kneeling position, and used the other arm to shield his face, closing his awe-struck eyes.

All he could hear in the darkness was a sharp _cling, cling, cling_ before something collided with his forehead and sent him falling sideways onto the ground. Five seconds after he landed, Deidara opened his tightly shut eyes and blinked.

Aside from the throbbing of his cranium, nothing else emitted any pain. The Iwa-nin pushed himself up into a sitting position and stared down at his unscathed body. Then, lifting his gaze, the artist drew in a sharp breath.

Shading him from the sun's bright rays was a metallic tail. It swayed, waiting. The tail was built in sections and ended in a sharp point dripping with a glistening purple liquid. A different liquid, crimson in color, dripped from the tail's outward edge. Below the tail's shadow laid piles of projectile.

Deidara followed the tail down from its sharp point, down the evenly-spaced sections, and ended at the lifted black cloth of his partner's cloak. The youngster's eyes widened further.

He stood up quickly. He drew a fist out of the clay bag, a creature already manipulated into perfect shape in his closed palm.

But no Sound nin were there to greet him standing up. Four bodies cut nearly in half floated in the shallow waters on either side of them. Two more shinobi had appeared to aid their comrades. The water surrounding their slashed forms turned a reddish brown which their dark clothes soaked up eagerly.

"I knew you were the kind of kid to get themselves killed before you know it. Don't think I'll be so willing to save your sorry ass again, brat."

Deidara remained silent. He squashed the clay crane in his hand, clenching his fist harder and harder as each second went by. Bits of white clay fell through the cracks between his fingers and he finally stopped and put what remained of the mass into his bag.

Wordlessly, he stepped forward and crouched down near the closest body. "Are they all dead?" he asked, balancing on the balls of his feet.

"If they aren't now, they will be soon."

"How should we dispose of 'em, un?"

"You're the pyromaniac," Sasori answered insultingly. "You figure it out." Strangely, the title brought a smile to the blonde's placid face.

After pilfering the bodies of any money or other useful objects, the dead men met their funeral pyre. Their murderers continued journeying through Rice Country—or Sound Country—whatever they called it now.

As the remaining ashes sunk into the thick mud never to be seen again, Deidara lifted a hand to his forehead. He was curious to see if whatever knocked into his head had drawn blood or left a bruise.

Lifting the headband, Deidara's fingers lightly glided over the metallic sheet bearing Iwagakure's familiar symbol. But, strangely, when his forefinger followed the indented grooves he found something unfamiliar about it.

The Iwa-nin pulled his headband completely from his head and inspected the indented symbol. His jaw slackened.

A long horizontal slash bore through the stone-inspired design.

"I let one get through to teach you a lesson."

The young artist shot the other a weak glare. His deep eyes returned to the damaged hitai-ate in his hands.

Before now the thought of slicing through the symbol of his home, the place where inhabitants had revered then run from his art, had never crossed his mind. Usually it was rogue ninja who cut through their village's symbol, using the new design as a way to show their contempt or vow to never return.

While Deidara may have been a terrorist bomber, he was not one of those over-symbolic rogues who slashed through their hitai-ate as soon as they ran. And it wasn't sentimentality that kept the headband intact either—the band was just a convenient way to keep his hair out of his face. So the artist never touched the stone symbol.

Only until now did he even bother to look intricately into the design, giving it a longer viewing than just a glance. Staring into the chipped metal, a part of him, a part he had never thought existed, felt chipped away as well.

Deidara let out a short sigh. Face reverting to placid calmness, he pulled the headband over his forehead and, fidgeting with it for only a second, positioned it correctly.

"Let's go before more of 'em show up."

* * *

**A/N:** I want to apologize for taking such a long time to update. I tried researching as much as I could about Rice Country, Sound Country, and Orochimaru's role in shaping it but kept getting mixed messages. So I apologize if any information is wrong.


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